Russian troops failed to replicate Vostok exercise techniques in complex ops: UK MoD

Russian President Vladimir Putin's soldiers in Ukraine have failed to replicate techniques from the Vostok exercises conducted with China in the Far East, according to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The update comes as the Kremlin's military participates in the 2022 Vostok war exercises, which are being held in cooperation with Beijing and will last through September 7. Russia is experiencing a moment of stagnation in the Ukraine war, unable to win new land and witnessing a resurgent Ukrainian defence force fight back in occupied areas.

Furthermore, tensions remain high around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power facility as IAEA inspectors arrive amid intense firing in the surrounding area. In its latest intelligence report about the ongoing conflict, UK MoD said, "Russia’s military performance in Ukraine has highlighted that Russia’s military-strategic exercises, such as Vostok, have failed to sustain the military’s ability to conduct large scale, complex operations."

UK MoD disagrees with Russia's optimistic estimates of available soldiers participating

The update from the British Defence ministry further added, "Such events are heavily scripted, do not encourage initiative, and primarily aim to impress Russian leaders and international audiences." Moreover, with Putin eager to see the Russian military's power, the Vostok exercise, the first since 2018, will feature thousands of troops. However, the UK MoD disagrees with Russia's optimistic estimates of available soldiers participating in the military exercises.

On September 2, the ministry claimed in the report, "Despite the war in Ukraine, on 01 September, the Russian military started exercise Vostok 22, its annual Joint Strategic Exercise, marking the culmination of the military training year. Russia publicly claimed that 50,000 troops will take part, however, it’s unlikely that more than 15,000 personnel will be actively involved this year. This is around 20% of the forces which participated in the last Vostok exercise in 2018."

Similar events have been staged at Vostok in the past, but despite the training and drills, the ability to transmit the abilities to the front lines appears to have failed as Ukrainian soldiers fend off Russian advances. The exercise will also demonstrate Russia's cooperative military capability with other nations. Military forces from numerous former Soviet Union states, as well as personnel from China, India, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua, and Syria, will be joining Putin's troops.

(Image: AP)